Zavod za hitnu medicinu -- formally the Institute of Emergency Medicine of Split-Dalmatia County (Zavod za hitnu medicinu Splitsko-dalmatinske zupanije) -- is the public emergency medical institution responsible for delivering pre-hospital emergency care across the Split-Dalmatia County region of Croatia. Operating around the clock every day of the year, the institute dispatches trained emergency medical teams to respond to acute medical, trauma, and cardiac events throughout one of Croatia's most populous and geographically diverse counties.
The institute is part of Croatia's national network of county emergency medicine institutes, overseen by the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine (HZHM) at the national level. It implements standardized emergency medicine protocols for emergency medical transport by road and collaborates with relevant authorities on air and water medical transport operations -- an important capability given the numerous islands and coastal communities within Split-Dalmatia County that may require helicopter or boat-based medical evacuation.
The county of Split-Dalmatia is home to more than 450,000 residents spread across a large geographic area that includes the city of Split -- Croatia's second-largest city -- along with numerous coastal towns, inland municipalities, and dozens of inhabited Adriatic islands. The topographic and demographic diversity of this region creates significant logistical challenges for emergency medical response, requiring the institute to maintain a network of well-positioned stations and a fleet of well-equipped vehicles capable of reaching patients in both urban and remote settings within acceptable response times.
The institute's core mandate centers on pre-hospital emergency care: responding to calls for medical assistance, stabilizing patients at the scene, and transporting them safely to the appropriate hospital or emergency department. Emergency medical teams are composed of trained paramedics and emergency physicians who carry advanced life support equipment, including cardiac monitors, defibrillators, airway management devices, and medications for managing a wide range of acute medical emergencies including cardiac arrest, stroke, respiratory failure, trauma, and acute pain.
Beyond direct patient care, the institute plays an important role in the broader healthcare system of Split-Dalmatia County. It participates in the education and training of healthcare workers in emergency medicine, contributes to research in the field, and manages the informatization of emergency medical services -- ensuring that dispatch, documentation, and data management systems meet national and European standards. The institute also collects and maintains registers of emergency interventions for the county, providing the data foundation for quality improvement, resource planning, and public health analysis.
Public education in emergency medicine is another key function. By training members of the general public in basic life support (BLS) and first aid, the institute extends the reach of the emergency response system beyond its own professional teams. Early bystander intervention -- particularly in cases of cardiac arrest, where immediate CPR can double or triple survival rates -- is a critical component of effective emergency care, and the institute's public education efforts contribute meaningfully to health outcomes across the county.
Split itself is a major international tourism destination, welcoming millions of visitors annually to its UNESCO-listed Diocletian's Palace, Adriatic beaches, and island ferry connections. The presence of a professionally run, nationally standardized emergency medical institute provides an important safety net for the large transient population that passes through the county each year, ensuring that international visitors have access to rapid emergency medical response when needed.
For residents and visitors in Split and Split-Dalmatia County, the institute represents the front line of the Croatian emergency medical system -- a public institution dedicated to being present, responsive, and effective when patients face their most urgent health crises.
The institute is led by director Leo Luetic, Dr. med., and its main operational base is located at Spinciceva 1, 21000 Split. The institute's work reflects the standards of emergency medicine practice established at the national level by the Croatian Institute for Emergency Medicine, ensuring that the quality of pre-hospital care in Split-Dalmatia County is consistent with best practices observed across Croatia and the broader European emergency medicine community.
Quality assurance and continuous improvement are integral to how the institute operates. Data collected from emergency interventions feeds into ongoing analysis of response times, clinical outcomes, and resource utilization, driving decisions about staffing, vehicle deployment, and protocol updates. This systematic approach to performance monitoring is characteristic of well-run emergency medicine institutes and helps ensure that the institute's response to the evolving needs of Split-Dalmatia County's population remains effective over time.
The institute also coordinates with other components of the county and national health system -- including hospital emergency departments, the Croatian Red Cross, and civil protection authorities -- to ensure a coherent and well-integrated response to both individual emergencies and large-scale incidents. This coordination is particularly important during the peak tourist season, when the county's population swells dramatically and the demand on all health services, including emergency medicine, increases significantly.
Croatia's investment in modernizing its emergency medicine infrastructure over the past two decades has positioned institutes like Zavod za hitnu medicinu among the more capable pre-hospital care providers in Southeast Europe. For anyone living in, working in, or visiting Split-Dalmatia County, the institute stands as an essential public service -- the first call when a medical emergency strikes and the critical bridge between the scene of an emergency and the definitive hospital care that follows.